Design Collaborations

Name

Design Collaborations

Legal name

Design Collaborations

Website

https://designcollaborations.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Glass Art & Landscape Architecture

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (54142), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Glass & Glassware, Pressed Or Blown (3220)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

Keywords

• Cast glass art
• Public art design
• Landscape architecture
• Custom glass sculpture
• Lost wax casting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Glass Works: Hand-made cast glass products including sculptures, totems, chandeliers, rain chains, solid rods, drape pieces, and LED light poles. All products are custom-made to meet client project requirements. Revenue is project-based with pricing determined by scope, materials, and customization.
2. Landscape Architecture Services: Landscape design services for residential, commercial, and community settings. Includes thoughtful landscape planning, hardscapes, and creative solutions for outdoor spaces.
3. Public Art Design and Installation: Public art projects involving collaboration with donors, stakeholders, artists, fabricators, and governing bodies. Includes design, fabrication, and installation services for municipal and commercial clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Design Collaborations is a custom design firm that creates hand-made cast glass works (sculptures, totems, chandeliers, LED light poles, rain chains, and other forms) using the lost wax casting technique; designs and installs public art for municipal, cultural, and commercial clients; and provides landscape architecture services for residential, commercial, and community settings. All offerings are custom-made and project-based, with pricing determined through direct client consultation.

Product overview

Design Collaborations is an innovative design firm founded in 1990 and located in Tucson, Arizona, offering three interconnected core service areas: Glass Works (hand-made cast glass products using lost wax casting), Public Art (design and installation of public art projects), and Landscape Architecture (residential, commercial, and community landscapes). The Glass Works division produces diverse products including LED Light Poles, Sculptures, Totems, Drape, Chandeliers, Solid Rods, Rain Chains, and various Shapes—all using the lost wax casting technique. The Public Art division has completed multiple projects including First Impressions, Casa Grande Memorial, Epes Randolph Plaza, Casa Grande Plaza, Kennedy Park Fiesta Area Gateway, Skymarkers: Tucson, and Tucson Botanical Gardens Estella Cole Plaza. The Landscape Architecture division encompasses Residential, Commercial, Paving, and Steel sub-services, all tied together through the company's philosophy that excellent design is produced through collaboration and participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Glass Works
• LED Light Poles
• Glass Sculptures
• Glass Totems
• Chandeliers
• Rain Chains
• Public Art Design and Installation
• Landscape Architecture
• Landscape Paving
• Steel in the Garden

Quantifiable outcome

• 35+ years of successful project delivery since 1990
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tucson/Pima Arts CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2007Partnered with Tucson/Pima Arts Council on the Epes Randolph Plaza memorial project. The Council facilitated artist Nick Burke's bust of Epes Randolph and coordinated the memorial project.
• Nick Burke (Artist)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2007Artist Nick Burke, working through Tucson/Pima Arts Council, designed the bust of Epes Randolph. Design Collaborations coordinated the overall plaza design and installation.
• Union Pacific RailroadminorOthers · 1 June 2007Stakeholder involvement in the Epes Randolph Plaza project, given Randolph's instrumental role in bringing the railroad to Tucson. The railroad was one of many parties involved in the memorial project.
• Line and Space (Les Wallach, Architect)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2002Collaboration with architect Les Wallach of Line and Space on the Skymarkers:Tucson project - a national competition entry for the City of Tucson gateway design. The project developed steel conical shapes representing saguaro cactus needles up to 180 feet in height, designed to incorporate photovoltaic film for electricity generation.
• Sonoran Glass SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Michael Joplin served as board member from the school's inception in 2001 until 2017. The school represents a key institution in the regional glass arts community and potential talent pipeline and collaboration opportunity.
• City of Tucson Parks and Recreation DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 1996Completed collaboration on the Kennedy Park Fiesta Area Gateway project. The City provided project sponsorship and approval while Design Collaborations provided design and installation services for the papel picado-inspired steel flag gateway.
• Karen Piovaty (Graphic Artist)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 1996Collaboration with graphic artist Karen Piovaty on the Kennedy Park Fiesta Area Gateway project, creating distinctive plasma-cut imagery for the steel flag structure.
• Holm Architectural and Landscape LightingcoreTechnology or IntegrationDevelopment partnership for LED light pole fixtures. Holm Architectural developed a 9 array LED fixture specifically for Design Collaborations' cast glass beads. The fixture combines first-class LED technology with premium materials, installed in 2½-inch steel tubing.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mayer/Reed: Portland, Oregon-based design firm integrating landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental graphics for civic and cultural clients. Comparable to Design Collaborations in its integrated public-realm design practice serving museums, parks, and municipalities.
• Ball-Nogues Studio: Los Angeles-based studio producing large-scale, custom-fabricated public art installations using metalwork, weaving, and sculptural techniques. Comparable to Design Collaborations as a small, craft-driven public art fabrication practice delivering one-off signature commissions for cultural and civic clients.
• RE:site Studio: Houston-based public art and integrated design studio combining landscape, sculpture, and architectural installations for civic clients. Comparable to Design Collaborations in its multi-disciplinary public art + landscape offering and project-based custom commissioning model.
• James Carpenter Design Associates: New York-based design studio specializing in glass, light, and metal public art installations integrated with architecture and landscape. Comparable to Design Collaborations as a rare practice that bridges master-level glass craftsmanship with civic-scale public art delivery.
• LandMorphology: Seattle-based boutique landscape architecture firm focused on high-end residential, cultural, and civic projects. Comparable to Design Collaborations as a small, design-driven landscape architecture studio serving affluent residential and institutional clients in the western U.S.

Others

• Habatat Galleries: Michigan-based gallery specializing in studio glass art with a long-running annual exhibition. Comparable to Design Collaborations as part of the broader U.S. studio glass ecosystem in which Michael Joplin trained and exhibits, though operating as a gallery/retailer rather than a producing design firm.
• Mark Peiser: Renowned American studio glass artist based in North Carolina, under whom Michael Joplin studied. Comparable as a master practitioner of glass art techniques whose career informs Design Collaborations' lost-wax casting lineage and craft positioning, though operating as an individual artist rather than a design firm.

Broad incumbents

• OLIN: Philadelphia-based landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with deep public-realm and cultural-institution portfolio. Comparable to Design Collaborations for its integration of art, landscape, and civic placemaking, but at much larger scale and institutional client base.
• Chihuly Studio: The studio of Dale Chihuly, the world's most prominent glass artist and another of Michael Joplin's teachers. Comparable as a glass-art production and installation enterprise, but operating at vastly greater scale, brand recognition, and global gallery distribution.
• SWA Group: Large, internationally recognized landscape architecture and urban design firm. Comparable to Design Collaborations as a practitioner of integrated public-realm and landscape architecture, but operating at significantly greater scale across commercial, civic, and large-infrastructure projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/designcollaborations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/design-collaborations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Design Collaborations